Replacement Fan for CoolIT Vantage?

Mechanicus · 2 Oct 2011 at 09:21

Hello.

After having some problems with my CPU cooling (temperatures would almost-instantly spike up 10-20°C as soon as I ran certain games, the latest being Battlefield 3 beta), I thought I would get a better fan to replace the stock one on my CoolIT Vantage ALC CPU cooler.

The stock fan is 4-pin, but the one I am looking at (and have seen recommended elsewhere) is the Scythe Gentle Typhoon, which is a 3-pin, but comes with a 4-pin adapter. What I want to know is will the CPU cooler still be able to regulate the fan speed on this 3-pin fan?

Tealc · 2 Oct 2011 at 09:26

Depends on your motherboard and what software you use. My Gigabyte motherboard will control my 3 pin CPU fans but strangely not through it's own software so I use Speedfan.

The 4 pin adapter is a Molex adapter, not a 4 pin PWM connector.

Mechanicus · 2 Oct 2011 at 10:00

The setup is fan - CPU cooler - motherboard. The motherboard doesn't really have much say in the running of the fan. It's controlled by the CPU cooler, by setting it up via the built-in LCD screen.

The 4 pin adapter is a Molex adapter, not a 4 pin PWM connector.

Ah right. Well, can anyone recommend a good 120mm fan, that has a 4-pin connector?

Tealc · 2 Oct 2011 at 20:30

A lot of people recommend the Akasa Apache fan and by coincidence it has similar rotational speed to your linked Scythe GT fan. I don't think that the Apache is as good as the GT though.

welshdragon · 2 Oct 2011 at 20:47

I'm using a pair of Akasa Vipers on my Antec 920 which are both quiet and push a lot of air.

Mechanicus · 2 Oct 2011 at 21:02

I'd like to use a pair of fans, but I don't know if I have the space. I'd also need one of these. Would that allow the CPU cooler to adjust the speed of both fans?

Are these the ones you are talking about welshdragon?

welshdragon · 2 Oct 2011 at 22:10

Yes those are the ones. Fantastic fans. I've had apache's too but the vipers I find a touch better. If you want to run more than one fan off the cpu fan header you need one of these

Mechanicus · 2 Oct 2011 at 22:34

The thing I am worried about is that if I don't run the fans through the CPU cooler, it will start having a fit at me because it'll think there are no fans running.

I just had a look at the way the Vantage is connected - There are 2 4-pin connectors coming from the CPU cooler - one goes into the motherboard, and the other connects the fan up, so the CPU cooler can regulate it.

I cannot think of an obvious way to connect a splitter that would allow the CPU cooler to moderate the fan speed on both fans.

Mechanicus · 5 Oct 2011 at 13:21

Well, I bought one of the Vipers, plugged it into my CPU cooler, and the cooler wouldn't turn on. I don't know if the fan is drawing too much power or what.

So I've plugged the new Viper into a motherboard 4-pin socket, and fixed it to the radiator. I put the original CPU radiator fan on the other side, as the pull part of a push-pull setup. I also flipped the 200mm fan on the top of the case, so it blows air into the case rather than drawing it out.

I tried a stress test using Real Temp and Prim95, and got a max temp of 75°C.
I ran BF3 for about 15 minutes before I got bored, and my temp hovered around 65°C for quite a while, and maxed out at around 72°C shortly before I quit.

There is space on the case for a 80mm fan on the other side of the motherboard, which would blow air onto the back of where the CPU sits. Would it be worth putting a fan there, and if so, should I make it push or pull?

Also, there is another spot on top of the case, for a 120mm/200mm fan. Should I get one for there, and make it push or pull?